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01/21/2014

ARLINGTON, Texas - Because all of us were born yesterday, or the day before yesterday, we are to believe that a head coach/manager entering the final year of his contract with no hint of a guarantee of an extension is a good thing.

This is what Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels is selling about manager Ron Washington, who is in the final year of his contract. JD did today to a gathering of the media that watched a handful of the Rangers workout at the Ballpark.

"I just don't like commenting on anyone's status," Daniels said as he complimented Washington's work (611-524, 2 AL pennants in 7 seasons). "We know what he's about."

He also said: "He's been a huge part of what we've done here. I expect that to continue going forward."

Roughty 1,000 miles south east of Randol Mill Road in Arlington sat Cowboys owner/GM/president/asst. head coach Jerry Jones in Mobile, Ala. at the Senior Bowl expressing similar feelings for his head coach. The only difference is there is no hard confirmation that Jason Garrett is in the final year of his deal, although it is widely believed that '14 is his last season under contract.

Jerry told reporters at the Senior Bowl he is in "no rush" to extend JG. How could he be?He also said that Garrett coaching in the final year of his contract is "mistakenly taken as if the future is not there, and that's wrong."

And that is also a load.

Bank this - unless Wash and Coach Process win in 2014, this is it for both.

JD said he did not think a clubhouse will be affected by Wash's contract status. He did not say whether or not he believed in the bogeyman.

Every player looks at his head coach, or manager, differently if he doesn't have the security and backing of management. Security and backing is an extension. JD knows this, too.

The final year of a deal tests a head coach/manager to the extreme. If they play for him then, they care and he has a chance. If they don't, he's done.

12/22/2013

The Texas Rangers have won the 2013 MLB Offseason Championship. The parade is Wednesday at the Ballpark.

All of Texas Rangers nation is thrilled with the news that the team signed outfielder Shin-Soo Choo to a seven-year contract on Saturday worth $130 million. The number geeks are thrilled with the acquisition of a player who gets on base (.423 in '13 with Reds). BTW - Weird stat: Choo walked 112 times in '13, and struckout 133.

At the very least, the Rangers will have an offensive lineup that should be able to score runs, and not be a tremendous liability.

Between Choo and the trade to acquire Prince Fielder, the Rangers are committed to two players for the next seven years.

These deals can be labeled a success if:a.) The Rangers win a World Series. A title makes every move correct.b.) The Rangers can buy off their mistakes; if the players aren't working out, they can flush either with little consequence.

If either one of these deals becomes a hamstring on the team's ability to make moves and add players, these are a bust. We know this because it's happened to this franchise before.

The last time the Rangers won "offseason" titles was when then team owner Tom Hicks was throwing money at everybody - in 2001 and 2002. He was signing Alex Rodriguez, Ken Caminiti, Chan Ho Park, Andres Gallaragga, et all to absurd deals; the Rangers featured one of baseball's highest payrolls, and it was all based on the projections that the team would win, the stadium would be full, and the money would be flowing.

The team didn't win, and Hicks could not cover costs. He gutted the team in the name of cash.

New primary owners Ray Davis and Bob Simpson are like many new owners - they want to spend money and get that title. Finances be damned. Now, if they are losing money and losing games, then things may change.

Why 2013 is not 2002 is that the Rangers are set to come into a massive amount of guaranteed revenue when their new TV contract is signed, and the GM running things is much different than the men who had this job in '01 and '02.

In 2001, then GM Doug Melvin did not want to sign Alex Rodriguez to the 10-year, $252 million deal he signed. He was ordered.In 2002, then GM John Hart was given the green light to throw money at whomever, including Park, John Rocker, Juan Gonzalez, Carl Everett, etc. Hart was desperate to win a World Series, he knew the farm system was a waste, and he thought the best way to was to sign everybody and hope it worked.

It's 2013, and Jon Daniels is not Melvin or Hart. We are not sure what Bob Simpson or Ray Davis are.

It's one thing to green light adding Fielder or Choo. Hicks did that. It's quite another to be able to keep up the payroll if one or both don't work out. Hicks could not do that.

Adding Fielder and Choo is great fun, and it looks great. On paper the team is much better offensively than 2013.

It will be wonderful, provided they win the World Series, or can flush either of these guys with minimal consequence.

09/24/2013

ARLINGTON, Texas - Not even amid a 12-0 beat down of the Houston Astros on Monday could Rangers manager Ron Washington justify putting in Lance Berkman.

The season is not over, and a situation may call for a desperate at bat in extra innings, but it appears it's over for the forever Texan, all-time good guy and total bust of a 2013 free agent signee.

It is simply no longer there for the 37-year-old, and as a result his career is likely over. The body just can't do it any more.

Berkman is hitting .242 with six home runs and 34 RBIs this year. His last hit came on July 3 against Seattle. An injury forced him on the disabled list on July 7. He was re-activated on Sept. 1, when teams could expand rosters. He Berkman is 0-for-12 since then.

I asked Washington if this is a case of a slowing bat.

"It's just a physical issue, period," he said. "The guy got hurt. It's just not there."

Of the many offseason decisions made by the Rangers in the previous offseason, rolling the dice and spending more than $10 million to add Berkman to fill their DH role was the absolute worst.

09/19/2013

For years decades, both the Texas Rangers and their fans hinged their hopes around the idea that "If they could just get some pitching" then all would be right.

Since the club relocated from Washington D.C. to Texas in 1972, the club has posted a team ERA over 4.00 a whopping 26 times. From 1985 to 2009, only twice did the team post an ERA under 4.00.

Other than that, however, this team could flat get it done on the mound excluding ... you know ... getting guys out.

So appreciate the irony that just when the Rangers have that pitching that would make them World Series winners, their bats have destroyed their chances.

As the Rangers prepare to play the final of a four-game series against the Rays in Tampa, their team ERA is 3.72. If that holds, that would be the second-best figure for this franchise since 1983 whe team led the American League in ERA with a 3.31 figure.

This season will likely mark the fourth consecutive year the team's ERA will be under 4.00, only the second such four-year streak in franchise history; the first was achieved in the more pitching-friendly '70s. That was when foul ground was more plentiful, the fences were a bit further back, and the strike zone was a tad more lenient.

When the Rangers led the AL in pitching, they finished 77-85, third in the seven-team AL West. The problem? The team ranked 13th out of the 14-team in the AL in runs.

The '13 Rangers rank 7th in runs, but by now it is sadly obvious - for one of the few times ever, pitching ain't the problem.

09/11/2013

ARLINGTON, Texas - Just when you thought it was safe to order Texas Rangers American League Divisional round tickets without the fear of having your money applied to next season's mini-plan, they are doing it again.

I never thought thought they could do this again, not after last season's collapse starring Josh Hamilton.

Don't blame this latest Rangers gag on the absence of right fielder Nelson Cruz, although that doesn't help. After the Rangers' 7-5 loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates to complete their three-game sweep I asked Rangers manager Ron Washington why this team in 2013 will not collapse the way they did in 2012.

"It's the same issue," he said. "Drive in runs. Drive in runs."

(BTW - The Rangers rank ninth in the MLB in runs scored, and seventh in batting average.)

The Rangers are going to be three games behind Oakland for first in the AL West by Thursday morning.

To the 2013 Rangers credit, they are not waiting until the last week of the regular season to blow the division title the way they did last season. They're getting that done right now.

On Sept. 24, 2012 the Rangers led the A's by 5 games in the AL West and did not win the title.On Sept. 1, 2013 the Rangers led the A's by 1 game in the division.

While the offense has been awful, the rotation and now the bullpen can be thrown in the bear pit, too. This is equal opportunity garbage.

The team is 3-9 in its last 12 games. In their last 20 games, the only Rangers starting pitchers to earn wins are Martin Perez (twice) and Travis Blackley.

The next 10 games, and really the next three, will likely determine if this team has any shot of winning the division and reversing a second consecutive September Gag. Their next three series are against the A's, Rays and Royals.

By the time the Astros come to Arlington for a three-game series on Sept. 23 wearing a giant life perserver, it may be too late.

Yu's numbers, and season, speak for themselves but he should at least be an 18-game winner. He can't when his offense is unable to score more than 2.9 runs per game, which it has done in his past 19 starts.

It wasn't always this way.The Rangers scored a total of 65 runs in Yu's first nine starts.They have scored a total of 55 runs in his last 20 starts. It would have been worse had they not scored 7 runs in his start on Aug. 1 and 8 runs on Aug. 6.

They must really hate this guy to keep doing this to him.

All will be forgiven if in the postseason the Rangers can turn some of these into 2-1 or 3-1 wins.

08/20/2013

ARLINGTON, Texas - The Texas Rangers' decision to sign veteran DH Lance Berkman is this close to becoming a full blown waste unless he contributes anything in September.

The one-year, $11 million deal was thought to be a similar dice roll the Rangers took in 2010 when they did with Vlad Guerrero, which worked out huge. The deal with Berkman has been a bust because, as expected, he can't stay healthy. Despite what the Rangers say, his bat has slowed as well.

He said on Monday he still wants to play, but the only way he thinks he will be activated any time soon is on Sept. 1 when MLB teams are allowed to expand their rosters.

"It would be perfect if today was Sept. 1," Berkman told us media nerds on Monday.

He hasn't played since July 6 because of an assortment of leg injuries. In 282 plate appearances, he has just six home runs with 34 RBI and is batting .254. He's 37, and clearly the injuries and age are winning.

Perhaps with just 30 or so games, plus the postseason, Berkman can find the Fountain of 35 and contribute a few timely hits. He is a total pro, and has wonderful plate discipline that can be invaluable in the postseason when nerves have their way with even the more established hitters. Guys who make contact never go out of style, provided he can still make contact.

The Rangers are where they are without Berkman, so anything he does is gravy.

He wants to play, and the ideal situation is that he is activated, contributes a few key hits during an extended playoff run and then walk away from a game he has tried to quit many times before.

It would be the nice ending for a guy who is as Texan as they come - went to New Braunfels, Rice, drafted and played for the Astros and finishes with the Rangers.

He is a good dude who hopefully has a little left to provide a better finish to an All-Star career.

If the bat is there, the Rangers should deal closer Joe Nathan. And I say this as guy who likes Joe Nathan.

The Rangers have too much pitching not to go for it, and enough quality arms in the bullpen to compensate for Nathan's departure. An AL West title may be gone, but who cares about winning the division? The baseball playoffs are now just about getting in.

"Our strength this year has been our pitching staff and we have guys in the pen. We have guys that have had good years and we're deep there," Nathan told me. "I know this game and I know what teams are trying to do. When you have a chance for the postseason you have to see what is available and what people are interested in and what can help and hurt the club. It's a tough gig for (the front office), too."

Nathan is one of the best closers in the game and he could bring the bat this team desperately needs, preferably in left field.

I say left only because I believe center fielder Leonys Martin is going to be a solid player, and that Mitch Moreland's bat will come around.

But Manny Ramirez is not going to make a dent on the big club and this team needs someone to drive in runs. Nathan could bring in that guy.

07/08/2013

ARLINGTON, Texas - Despite the loss of outfielder Josh Hamilton to free agency the Rangers sold hard that they would be good this season. Or at least GM Jon Daniels did.

We are just about at the All-Star break and the man is right - the Rangers are good.

"I believed it," he TOLD ME, EXCLUSIVELY AND NO ONE ELSE IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. "I really did. I wasn't saying it to try to sell tickets."

Despite the loss of Hamilton, Michael Young and Mike Napoli, among others, Daniels based his beliefs on the following: "The development of our young players, and bounce-back years from Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler and Derek Holland. I really thought if those things happened we would be good."

Give the man a cigar.

The development of position players Leonys Martin, Mitch Moreland along with pitchers Tanner Scheppers, Robbie Ross and Nick Tepesch have been major scores for a team that needed them.